I didn’t realize until Bruce Crawford, Director of Rutgers Gardens, emailed the plant list for his recent lecture that it was titled Sexy Natives. The G-rated version in the program for the NJ Plants tradeshow held in Edison NJ was Native Plants for Native Pollinators. And these babies surely fit the bill!

Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) Photo By Bruce Crawford

We’ve spoken about layers of plants found in nature and in well-designed gardens; and how the groundcover layer can be an ecological as well as beautiful alternative to mulching. Bruce touts the weed-free benefits of Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) which spreads ambitiously by rhizomes (underground stems) without being invasive. With blue-green fuzzy leaves it creates a silvery 2 to 3-foot-tall blanket in sun or shade that tolerates dryness, though it prefers to be moist. Pollinators love its pinkish white flowers in late summer.

Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pennsylvanicum)Photo by Bruce Crawford

How about a hands-free groundcover such as Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pennsylvanicum). “No cutting, no weeding, no watering,” boasts Bruce, “and, you can walk on it.” Its best in full shade and can endure wetness for a while, but prefers to be dry. This grass-like beauty is 14 inches tall but lays in soft waves about 8 inches high. It grows fine under trees and makes a perfect lawn alternative in dry shady areas.

Then there’s Prairie Dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) with its long almost leafless flower stems leading to three-inch sunflower-like blooms in summer. The flower stems rise seven feet above the 2-foot-high foliage which “looks great with tall grasses in full sun” flaunts Bruce who clearly adores this plant. Speaking of tall grasses, there’s Switchgrass ‘Dallas Blues’ (Panicum virgatum) standing 6 to 8 feet which likes full sun as well, but can accept a bit of shade. It loses its blueness when it flowers pinkish spikes. Come fall the outstanding burnt yellow color is worth the wait.

The flower of Swamp Sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) looks much like black-eyed Susan (pictured in the banner photo above). She’s a prolific bloomer in the fall until frost. It’s true she may need staking, but given full sun and plenty of moisture she’s sure to stand tall at about 6 feet.

I was thrilled to hear Bruce’s accolades for my favorite large woody shrub Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora var. serotina) though I had not known this variety. Serotina grows larger to 20 feet and the bottlebrush-like blooms appear about August – three weeks later than the species.

Defining “Native Plants”:In the lecture handout Bruce Crawford, Director of Rutgers Gardens, shared his philosophy on the definition of native plants which can be confusing. “Is it a plant naturally growing only in your county, your state or your regional portion of the country?” Bruce feels “a garden is an art form that is created by human hands” (I just love that philosophy!). Bruce goes on to say “Cultivars, which are either created or reproduced through human hands, are therefore acceptable. In a wild or totally naturalistic environment, I prefer and appreciate the broad diversity found within seedling produced plants; the diversity of form, disease resistance and appeal to pollinators is a valid concern.”

About the Author

Mary Stone, owner of Stone Associates Landscape Design & Consulting.
As a Landscape Designer, I am grateful for the joy of helping others beautify their surroundings which often leads to sharing encouragement and life experiences. These relationships inspired my weekly column published in THE PRESS, 'Garden Dilemmas? Ask Mary', began in 2012.
I dream of growing the evolving community of readers into an interactive forum to share encouragement and support in Garden and Personal Recoveries -
seeking nature’s inspirations, stimulating growth, weeding undesirables, embracing the unexpected. Thank you for visiting! Mary

As a designer, I am grateful for the joy of helping others beautify their surroundings which often leads to sharing encouragement and life experiences; the inspiration for my column and now blog. It's more than about gardens... it’s about learning and growing as we share Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries in the garden of life…

Thank you for dropping by,
Mary

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